Restless Nights
by Anonymous-Trouble-Maker
Summary: Everyone's arguing,Vincent can't get to sleep without help from Cid,and Reno's gotta put him back to bed in the morning! Straight up humor.


Rain fell on glass windows in the quiet city of Midgar. The members of Avalanche had retreated to the inside of Tifa's bar for warmth. Along with them were the Turks of Shinra Incorporated. Cid and Reno were arguing over who was the better pilot,Yuffie was pestering Barret,Cloud had engaged in a conversation with Tseng and Reeve,Elena and Tifa were screaming at each-other with Rude trying to separate them,leaving Vincent to sit in front of the fire as he brushed out 12 year old Marlene's hair as he spoke with 13 year old Denzel about some incident at school.

''I'll say it again,ya stupid redhead,you couldn't fly to save yer worthless life!''Cid screamed. ''I could out-fly you any damn day,stinky!''Reno yelled in response. ''Yeah,on autopilot,ya rotten cheater!''Cid spoke. ''Up yours,ya smoking chimney!''Reno yelled. Cid reached out and grasped Reno's ponytail before giving it a good hard yank. ''Ow! Goddamn it all!''Reno yelped. From there on,things got physical. Vincent sighed as he put Marlene's hair in a ponytail. It seemed as if everyone was fighting tonight. The pale gunner turned his attention to another arguing set.

''For crying out loud,Elena,You don't know anything about taking care of your hair!''Tifa screeched. ''Well,I don't use el cheapo shampoo in my hair!''Elena replied. A very distinct slap echoed through the room. Oh brother. Pilots arguing over flight skills? Girls arguing over hair care and prices of hair products? _'What could possibly come next?'_Vincent wondered.

Vincent finished tying a ribbon in Marlene's hair and looked to both her and Denzel as he stood up. ''I think it would be best if all three of us went to bed,children,''Vincent said softly. Marlene yawned and stood up,only to find herself leaning against Vincent's leg as she was ready to fall asleep. Denzel was doing the same,but was leaning on the opposite leg. Vincent smiled and lead the two children upstairs and into their rooms,finding it odd yet comforting to have two small children lean against either of his legs as they clutched his cloak to keep warm and from falling over. The gunner waited outside of the children's' bedroom for Marlene to change into her nightgown. When she finished,she let the man into her room and climbed into her bed. Vincent fluffed her pillows and pulled the thick quilt up to cover the small girl and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Moments later,she was sound asleep. Denzel,being male,changed in the room,right in front of the tall brunette. Vincent waited until the child was curled up in bed before repeating the process and saying goodnight. Afterwards,he retired to his own room for the night...or so he thought.

The brunette had removed his cloak,shoes,bandanna,and even his shirt. For three hours the man lay in his bed,but unable to sleep. Suddenly,Vincent heard a knock on his door. ''Yes?''he answered. Cid stepped into the room. ''The hell are ya doin' still awake,Vince?''Cid asked. ''I am unable to rest,''Vincent answered quietly. ''Is there anythin' I can do for ya?''the pilot questioned softly as he sat down on the bed. Vincent rolled onto his stomach, placing his chin on the pillow. ''No...not that I'm aware of...''the brunette replied. Cid sat next to the thin body for a minute before suddenly getting an idea. By now Vincent had turned his head to face the wall...away from the pilot. Cid reached up and placed his hands near Vincent's shoulder blades,getting the other male to jump in surprise. Vincent tried to retaliate by attempting to bolt up from his bed. Cid snatched the brunette's wrists and pinned them to the bed,which,in the process,landed him in a very uninviting position. Cid was now sitting on Vincent's legs. ''Would ya jus' relax,Vince? It's only me! Jeez...yer so high-strung!''Cid exclaimed. Vincent sighed. He was high-strung. Especially with the way his past was. Repeated unwanted physical interactions with Hojo did a lot of mental and emotional damage.

There was a very clear sigh of defeat and that was when Cid knew that the brunette was now willing to listen. Cid calmed himself and moved off of the brunette to sit on the bed itself again. Vincent remained still,even when the pilot changed his position. Cid began to move his hands in small circles on the shoulder blades of his friend,and found that the actions were calming the brunette quite a bit. Quiet moans of relaxation slipped from Vincent's lips. ''...C-cid...you're really good at that...'' He felt himself beginning to fall asleep. It didn't take long,but in minutes,Vincent's mind had drifted off into a land of blue skies with wildflowers,and oddly enough,rose bushes and skeletons. Cid smirked and pulled the blanket up to Vincent's neck to cover his body and silently left the room. He returned downstairs with a pure smile on his face and chuckled under his breath. 'Just like a fallen angel,'he thought.

The next morning,around seven o'clock,Vincent was the first male adult to wake from his sleep. Tifa was already up and had prepared breakfast for Marlene and Denzel when she saw the brunette come downstairs. Vincent walked into the bar area,his shirt slung over his shoulder as he rubbed one of his eyes childishly. Tifa giggled,for she thought the sight was kind of cute. The woman reached into a drawer in the bar and removed a hairbrush. Vincent parked himself in a booth behind Marlene and Denzel and put his head down on the table,still nine tenths asleep. At the moment,he couldn't tell anyone what color the sky was if anyone asked him. ''Morning,Vincent,''Tifa said as she washed a frying pan from cooking pancakes for the kids,who sat and ate their food greedily. ''...Mmmphh...ggdmrgnn...,''was the reply. Tifa set the small steel handled hair brush in front of the gunman,not really expecting him to pick it up,anyway. Denzel sat up and turned around to look at the tired brunette and began poking the gunman's shoulder. ''Denzel! You know better than that! Turn around,sit down,and eat! Honestly,child...he just got down here!''Tifa calmly spoke with annoyance. Denzel rolled his eyes and smiled.

''Hey,Vinny,what color is the sky?''Denzel asked. ''...mmmrrggnn...purple...with orange stripes annndd pink polka dots...maybe plaid''was the response. Denzel broke out laughing. ''Denny,that's mean!''Marlene screeched. ''So?''Denzel replied. Vincent suddenly lurched at the sound of a rather mannerless pilot walking down the stairs and into the bar,followed by the rest of Avalanche and the Turks,minus Rude and Tseng of course. Elena was wearing pink polka dotted pajama pants with a purple t-shirt,Yuffie was wearing one of Vincent's shirts with a pair of shorts,Barret and Reeve were already dressed,Cloud was dressed like Elena, but with a white t-shirt and camo pajama pants. Aerith was wearing a simple white nightgown,and Cid was almost fully dressed minus his vest and goggles. Vincent ignored the chattering and talking,but when he heard Reno trudge down with a yawn,well,that did it. Vincent fell from the booth to the floor,completely asleep. ''Guess what,Red,you get to carry him upstairs,''Cid said as he sat down in one of the booths. ''What? Why me?''Reno whined. ''Yawns are contagious. Get him in bed,''Cid responded. Reno groaned as he walked over to Vincent's collapsed form and slid one arm under his knees and the other under his arms.

Carefully,Reno lifted the man up bridal style and brought him upstairs. Upon reaching the bedroom,the redhead all but dumped the body onto the bed and pulled the blanket on top of it. 'Why can't we put him in a forest an' have him hibernate for half the fuckin' year?'Reno wondered.

* * *

Tell me what you thought! ;D


End file.
